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The Materiality of Domestic Waste

The Recycled Cosmology of the Dogon of Mali

University College London, UK, l.douny{at}ucl.ac.uk

This article explores some of the multiple forms and uses of Dogon domestic waste, considering daily shared experiences of the matter. It examines the implicit meanings objectified in the materiality of, and the daily praxis associated with, rubbish that the Dogon select and allocate to particular places in and out of their `home container'. These are framed within a recycled cosmology that encompasses a plurality of entangled world-views that inform us about the life cycles of people, environment and society.

Key Words: Dogon • domestic waste • materiality • recycled cosmology

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Journal of Material Culture, Vol. 12, No. 3, 309-331 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1359183507081897


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Douny, L. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?